JA - Clinical Healthcare Point of Care Access Suite - Redacted.pdf

Request for Sole Source Justification Format >SAT

VHAPG Part 806.3 OFOC Page 1 of 5

Revision: 03 Effective Date: 04/15/24

Acquisition ID#: 36C776-25-AP-1600

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Justification and Approval (J&A) For

Other Than Full and Open Competition (>SAT)

Acquisition Plan Action ID: 36C776-25-AP-1600

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, Program Contracting Activity

Central (PCAC), 6100 Oak Tree Blvd., Suite 490, Independence, OH 44131.

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requires subscription-based access to the Brand Name McGraw-Hill Access Suite in the seven (7) specialty areas of Medicine, Pharmacy, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, Hematology, Neurology, and Surgery. This product must include clinical references such as electronic healthcare textbooks/manuals and other resources that will serve to educate and inform students, residents, fellows and other healthcare professionals practicing in the VA medical and administrative facilities to ensure uniform availability of high quality, clinical healthcare knowledge-based resources across the VA system to improve clinical decision making, education, and research. The Library Network Office (LNO) maintains the National Core Collection of Online Resources on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs and makes those resources available for use at all medical centers, community out based clinics (CBOC), VISNs and Program Offices.

3. Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs:

The scope of work shall consist of providing subscription services for the Office of Health Informatics (OHI) office; LNO. This effort falls in line with VA’s mission, goals and objectives in support of providing Veterans’ care. Contractors shall be responsible for the management, labor and equipment necessary to provide subscriptions detailed above. The centralized purchase of these resources began in 2010 to guarantee that equal access to high quality clinical information resources was available to improve clinical decision making at the point of care by insuring the uniform availability of a core collection of knowledge-based information. The current contract expires 9/29/25.

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4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other than Full and Open Competition:

(X) (1) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements per 41 USC §3304(a)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1.

5. Demonstration that the Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority):

Library Network Office (LNO) continuously researches and performs an annual review of usage of current resources and available products to find the most well rounded and complete products that encompass the needs of the VA. These brand-name titles provide the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art research and peer reviewed medical articles by recognized experts in their field and due to their proprietary nature, copyrighted material and intellectual property are unique and highly specialized and only available from one source. Selection of specific resources is based upon a multitude of criteria. Although there are well rounded products in clinical medicine for medical physicians, there are only a few resources that match the needs of the VA. The information is proprietary and contributed to by recognized experts in all fields of healthcare. Library Network Office approves the selection of certain products based on relevancy and appropriateness by consulting with the field and confirming the needs are current and ongoing. The use of the McGraw Hill Access suite is essential to the Government’s requirements, thereby precluding consideration of a product manufactured by another company.

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6. Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable: A Sources Sought notice 36C77625Q0244 was published to Federal Contracting Opportunities on June 18, 2025.

7. Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be

Fair and Reasonable: The contracting officer will obtain published pricing, pricing awarded on other contracts and compare pricing to Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE).

8. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a

Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted: The publisher McGraw-Hill was contacted on June 11, 2025, via email requesting information regarding authorized resellers. A response from the publisher indicated that there are no authorized resellers. The publisher also included a sole source letter. A Sources Sought notice 36C77625Q0244 was published to Federal Contracting Opportunities on June 18, 2025. Of the two (2) responses received in response to the market research efforts. One (1) was a HUBZone and deemed not reasonably capable. One (1) was an Other than Small business and was deemed capable The Government determined said vendor as reasonably capable because their capability statement addressed all elements of the RFI instructions. Additionally, McGraw-Hill, the Other than Small Business publisher, confirmed there are no authorized resellers and included a sole source letter. VetCert search was conducted using NAICS 519290, resulted in 146 results.

9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition:

None

10. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition:

1. McGraw-Hill

11. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or

Overcome any Barriers to Competition before Making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required: I certify that the requirement outlined in this justification is a Bona Fide Need of the Department of Veterans Affairs and that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

12. Requirements Certification: I certify that the requirement outlined in this justification is a Bona Fide Need of the Department of Veterans Affairs and that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

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13. Approvals in accordance with the VHAPM Part 806.3 OFOC SOP:

a. Contracting Officer Certification:

I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

b. One Level Above the Contracting Officer:

I certify the justification meets requirements for other than full and open competition.

c. DoC Review and Approval I have reviewed the foregoing justification and find it to be complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief and recommend approval for other than full and open competition.

d. VHA RPO HCA Review and Approval: I have reviewed the foregoing justification and find it to be complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief and recommend approval or approve for other than full and open competition.

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